Health

October 15 is Latino AIDS Awareness Day in Minnesota

Minnesota will join the eighth annual observance of National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) on October 15 to raise awareness of the increasing HIV infection rates among Latinos across the nation.

Since 1982, 643 Latino men, women and children have been diagnosed with HIV infection in Minnesota, including 138 that have died, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Currently, there are 521 Latinos living with HIV in the state, including those who moved to Minnesota after they were diagnosed in other states. Statewide, HIV infection rates for Latinos were five times greater than whites. In 2009, 996 Latinos were also infected with other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

American Cancer Society’s Health Summit at UROC

Wednesday, 06 October 2010 15:47
Christina Garner

On Saturday, Sept. 25, the American Cancer Society held its 2nd Annual Twin Cities Health Summit at UROC, promoting healthy lifestyles and cancer awareness in the African American Community. This year they recruited the help of NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center as well as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. drawing a larger crowd of community members.

Keith Allen, American Cancer Society project coordinator, said people can reduce their chances of developing many cancers if they simply take care of themselves. He believes one of the ways the fight against cancer can be won in the African American community is through open dialog about health, and that is exactly what he received.

See, Test, and Treat program removes early diagnosis barriers

Tuesday, 05 October 2010 15:22

A free “See, Test and Treat” breast and cervical cancer screening program sponsored by the NorthPoint Heath and Wellness Center, the College of American Pathologists, and the Minnesota Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, will be held at the NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center in Minneapolis, MN on October 5, 6, and 7. Appointments are being scheduled from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm each day by area community health representatives and other staff members.

Language interpreters will be onsite to help patients on Wednesday, October 7 (Spanish) and on Thursday, October 8 (Hmong.) To register, call 612-767-9197 (English,) 612-767-9162 (Spanish,) and 612-767-9161 (Hmong.) Walk-ins are also welcome.

Will Allen’s Good Food Revolution brings WEI – Growing Power Training to Minnesota

Tuesday, 05 October 2010 15:08

Will Allen’s Good Food Revolution, hosted by the Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI),will be in Minnesota October 22-24, 2010.

Will Allen, MacArthur Genius Fellow and one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People will participate in a weekend training on how to grow sustainable, local, fresh, healthy food for and within all communities. Allen and the Growing Power staff from Milwaukee will be at the WEI farm campus on Amador Hill in Almelund, MN throughout the weekend of October 23-24 guiding workshops and answering questions and providing an opportunity for developing organic farming skills. Growing Power Inc. in Milwaukee is a large urban farm operation working in collaboration with local small rural farms to produce healthy, affordable, fresh and local food for inner city and impoverished communities. This work is guided by Allen’s belief that we cannot have healthy communities without a healthy food system and we are all the community farmers on small plots of Earth who can make this happen.

ATLANTA-Each year, Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved hosts its Freedom Voices Conference to discuss some of the nation’s most pressing health issues impacting people of color, as well as those seeking to re-enter their communities after incarceration.

Community Voices, part of the Satcher Health Leadership at Morehouse School of Medicine, will hold this year’s event at the Marriott Buckhead in Atlanta, on Thursday, October 7th. In workshops, top experts will discuss how to better secure options for people in need of substance abuse treatment; providing effective mental health care in communities of color; and ensuring that ex-convicts have access to public benefits that will ease re-entry into their communities.

UnitedHealthcare wants you to know the facts about sickle cell

Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States. The disease affects 70,000 to 100,000 Americans and is most prevalent among African Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. About one in 500 African Americans has the disease, and one in 12 carry the sickle cell trait.

Here's some basic information about sickle cell disease.

What Is Sickle Cell Disease?Normal red blood cells are disc-shaped and look like donuts without holes in the center, traveling easily through the blood vessels. But in sickle cell, the red blood cells are shaped like sickles or "C's." These irregularly shaped cells are rigid and sticky. They often form clumps, which can slow or block blood flow and oxygen throughout the body causing pain, serious infections, and organ damage.

Home Solar Energy

Wednesday, 29 September 2010 16:24
EarthTalk® From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine.

Dear EarthTalk: Is it now feasible to provide all of a home’s energy needs—including air conditioning—with solar power alone? If so, why hasn’t solar caught on more, particularly in U.S. “Sun Belt” states from southern California east to Florida? -- Tim Douglas, Burlington, VT

It has been possible for years if not decades to provide all of a home’s energy needs with solar power. The technology is here and is only getting more efficient and less obtrusive every day. The only real stumbling block is cost: Solar systems capable of meeting all of an average U.S. home’s energy needs start at around $25,000. Given how inexpensive the grid-based power we now get all across the country remains—and, bear in mind that many utilities are working more and more renewable energy sources, like wind power, into their mix—going solar alone just doesn’t pencil out economically for most people.